Russian Federation: International Review of the Red Cross presents special Afghanistan issue at Moscow conference

21-06-2012 Article

On 21 May 2012, the International Review of the Red Cross presented its special issue entitled "Conflict in Afghanistan. Part I," on the socio-political and humanitarian situation in the country, at a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow.

"Afghanistan: challenges of modern conflicts" was organized by the ICRC’s Moscow regional delegation and the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The main purpose of the conference was to analyse the present humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, trace its evolution and look at how to maximize the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. The participants exchanged views on the military and political situation in the country, in particular in the light of the withdrawal of the International Security Assistance Forces in 2014.

The main speakers included Evgeny P. Bazhanov, rector of the Diplomatic Academy, Jacques de Maio, head of operations for South Asia at ICRC headquarters, Juan Luis Coderque Galligo, head of the ICRC regional delegation for the Russian Federation, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, Albert P. Khorev, acting head of the Afghanistan Department of the Second Directorate for Asia at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Azizullah Karzai, the Afghan ambassador to Russia and Anatoly. V. Chuntulov, deputy head of the Political Cooperation Directorate of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

The conference was a good opportunity to present the International Review of the Red Cross to government officials, international organizations, civil society, experts, and the diplomatic community in Russia and to highlight the issue dedicated to Afghanistan. Mykola Gnatovskyy of the Review’s Editorial Board spoke about the editorial line of the Review and the purpose of the journal. He then presented the issue dedicated to Afghanistan, the content of the articles included in it and their authors. The topics covered in this edition range from historical, geographical, cultural and religious appraisals of the country to analyses of the current social, political and humanitarian situation, together with views on the future of Afghanistan. Professor Gnatovsky invited participants to contribute their knowledge and experience to the journal, possibly in the form of articles.